HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4091        FILED ON: 3/20/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3969

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to a joint legislative budget office..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 56 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby repealed.

SECTION 2. Section 57 of chapter 3 of the General Laws  is hereby repealed.

SECTION 3. Section 58 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby repealed.

SECTION 4. Section 59 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby repealed.

SECTION 5. Section 60 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby repealed.

SECTION 6. Section 61 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby repealed.

SECTION 7. Chapter 3 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following 4 sections:-

Section 68.  There is hereby established the Joint Legislative Budget Office, hereinafter called the office, which shall consist of a director and staff, the director to be appointed by the speaker and senate president, in consultation with the chairmen of the joint committee on post audit and oversight, ways and means committees and minority leaders of both branches.  There shall be 5 analysts within the office, one of which shall be a certified public accountant and one of which shall be an attorney.  The staff shall be appointed by the director.  Every 2 years there shall be a new director or the current director shall be reappointed.  The director shall be selected without regard to his political affiliation.  All employees of the office shall be considered employees of the general court.

Section 69.  The office shall be nonpartisan and shall be responsible for providing an advisory opinion upon the request of a legislative committee or commission or one or more legislators on either the fiscal impact of a bill or budget item or a related issue of a bill or budget item.  These findings shall be confidential and advisory in nature and the office shall have no legislative powers.  If the time within which a response by the office is limited, responses shall be prioritized on a first come, first served basis. The office shall not have any authority to draft or assist in drafting legislation, but may review legislation.  The office shall have the authority and ability to access documents maintained by agencies or authorities of the commonwealth relating to their expenditures, revenues, operations and organizational structures.  The office may conduct confidential research to ascertain the procedures employed by other states with similar issues. 

Section 70.  Funding for the office shall be provided equally by the house and senate from the general budget.

Section 71.  An annual report shall be given by the office to the state library, the speaker of the house, the senate president, the chair of the house committee on ways and means, the chair of the senate committee on ways and means, the chairs of the post audit and oversight committee, and the minority leaders of both the house and senate. A copy of the same shall be filed with the clerk of the house of representatives and the clerk of the senate on or before the 2nd Wednesday of November in each year.